| Daniel 1 | |
|---|---|
 Daniel refusing to eat at the King's table, early 1900s Bible illustration | |
| Book | Book of Daniel |
| Category | Ketuvim |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 27 |
Daniel 1 (the first chapter of the Book of Daniel) tells how Daniel and his three companions were among captives taken by Nebuchadnezzar II from Jerusalem to Babylon to be trained in Babylonian wisdom. There they refused to take food and wine from the king and were given knowledge and insight into dreams and visions by God, and at the end of their training they proved ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in the kingdom.[1]
The overall theme of Daniel is God's sovereignty over history.[2] Chapter 1 introduces God as the figure in control of all that happens, the possessor of sovereign will and power: it is he who gives Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar's hands and takes Daniel and his friends into Babylonian exile, he gives Daniel "grace and mercies," and gives the four young Jews their "knowledge and skill."[3]
The Book of Daniel is "a composite text of dubious historicity from various genres",[4] and Daniel himself is a legendary figure.[5] The book of which he is the hero divides into two parts, a set of tales in chapters 1–6 from no earlier than the Hellenistic period (323–30 BCE), and the series of visions in chapters 7–12 from the Maccabean era (the mid-2nd century BCE).[5] Chapter 1 was apparently added as an introduction to the tales when they were collected around the end of the 3rd century BCE.[6]
- ^ Seow 2003, pp. 19–20.
- ^ Levine 2010, p. 1234.
- ^ Seow 2003, pp. 20–21.
- ^ Brettler 2005, p. 213.
- ^ a b Collins 1984, pp. 2, 28.
- ^ Collins 1984, p. 45.